Disaster Preparedness and Public Awareness (DRM 622)

Be Aware and Get Prepared !

LECTURE 6:
PREPAREDNESS PLANNING AND RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT
Preparedness Planning
 Overview of Preparedness Planning
Main points
◆ Planning as a process
◆ Communicating and coordination of plans
◆ Plan elements and priorities
◆ Activities to ensure plan implementation
Disaster preparedness planning involves identifying organizational resources,
determining roles and responsibilities, developing policies and procedures
organisational resources, and
planning activities in order to reach a level of preparedness to be able to
respond timely and effectively to a disaster should one occur

The actual planning process is preliminary in nature and is performed in a state

of uncertainty until an actual emergency or disaster occurs. After a disaster
occurs, plans must be adapted to the actual situation

Best to work on preparedness plans in consultation and cooperation with those

who will have to implement or approve them
 Need for Preparedness Planning
• During an actual emergency, quick and effective action is required; however, this
action often depends on having plans in place before a disaster strikes
• Even though the details of a disaster remain uncertain, one can identify emergency shelter sites, plan and
publicise evacuation routes, identify emergency water sources, determine chains of command and
communication procedures, train response personnel and educate people about what to do in case of an
emergency
▪ All of these measures will go a long way to improve the quality, timeliness and effectiveness of the
response to a disaster
▪ Preparedness Planning are future oriented in nature, thus more difficult than planning an
emergency operation in response to an actual disaster

Challenges in preparedness planning includes:

◆ resistance to planning because it diverts attention and scarce resources away from ongoing work to
plan for an event that may not occur
◆ political pressure on decision makers not to address or acknowledge possible disaster scenarios.
 Planning Principles
• Planning must be community-based, representing the whole population and its needs
• Planning must include participation from all stakeholders in the community
• Planning uses a logical and analytical problem-solving process to help address the complexity and
uncertainty inherent in potential hazards and threats
• Planning considers all hazards and threats.
• Planning should be flexible enough to address both traditional and catastrophic incidents
• Plans must clearly identify the mission and supporting goals (with desired results).
• Planning depicts the anticipated environment for action.
• Planning does not need to start from scratch
• Planning identifies tasks, allocates resources to accomplish those tasks, and establishes accountability.
• Planning includes senior officials throughout the process to ensure both understanding and approval.
• Time, uncertainty, risk, and experience influence planning.
• Effective plans tell those with operational responsibilities what to do and why to do it, and they instruct
those outside the jurisdiction in how to provide support and what to expect.
• Planning is fundamentally a process to manage risk
• Planning is one of the key components of the preparedness cycle.
 Planning Process
◆ Preparedness Planning for emergency actions is a
process; not a one-time event
◆ Plan may detail specific objectives and
preparedness actions, these will need to be
corrected and refined during an actual
emergency
◆ Process should be inclusive and participatory;
those who are charged with implementing
preparedness or emergency activities are more
likely to comply if they feel that their views are
incorporated into the planning process
◆ A team approach: diverse perspectives to be
shared during the planning stage
Steps in the Planning Process
 Planning Approaches
Planners use a number of approaches, either singly or in combination, to develop plans:
• Scenario-based planning. This approach starts with building a scenario for a hazard or
threat. Then, planners analyze the impact of the scenario to determine appropriate
courses of action. Planners typically use this planning concept to develop planning
assumptions, primarily for hazard- or threat- specific annexes to a basic plan.
• Function-based planning (functional planning). This approach identifies the common
functions that a jurisdiction must perform during emergencies. Function-based planning
defines the function to be performed and some combination of government agencies and
departments responsible for its performance as a course of action.
• Capabilities-based planning. This approach focuses on a jurisdiction’s capacity to take a
course of action. Capabilities-based planning answers the question, “Do I have the right
mix of training, organizations, plans, people, leadership and management, equipment,
and facilities to perform a required emergency function?” Some planners view this
approach as a combination of scenario- and function-based planning because of its
“scenario-to-task-to-capability” focus.
 Clusters at National level
Communication and Coordination of Plans • Health
• WASH
• Shelter
◆ Communicate with and coordinate their plans • Food Security
with those of government agencies and non- • Logistics
• Camp Coordination and
governmental organisations involved in disaster Camp Management
response • Education
• Protection
◆ Joint development and updating of • Telecommunication
preparedness plans can serve as the basis for • Nutrition
coordination among agencies • Early Recovery Network

Clusters at District Level

• Search & Rescue

• Food and Agriculture
• Emergency Shelter,
Livelihood and Non-Food
Item
• Emergency Protection
• Emergency Education
• Water & Sanitation
• Health and Nutrition
• Relief and Recovery
Key Stakeholders for Disaster Management in Nepal (At District and local Level)
DDRC/District Emergency Operation Centre
(DEOC)

Information & Search and Food Security,

Communication Rescue Agriculture & Livestock

District Shelter and WASH, Health

Lead Non-Food Item and Nutrition
Support Nepal
Agency Education Protection Red
(DLSA) Cross
Society
Infrastructure Rehabilitation,
(NRCS)
Reconstruction and
I/NGOs Recovery
User
Groups & Cluster Lead (Government Entities) Rural and Urban
Societies Co-Lead (UN Agencies) Municipalities

Plan need to be widely disseminated and communicated

Plan Elements for Disaster Preparedness
◆ Management, organisation and coordination
◆ Assessment of probable needs
◆ Activating population emergency notification and disaster
response systems
◆ Emergency needs assessment
◆ Resource mobilisation and allocation
◆ Communication between agencies
◆ Sector components
Management, organisation and coordination
◆ A preparedness plan should list the name(s), responsibilities during emergency, and
contact numbers and addresses for the emergency response focal point, the team
members at each operational level and people in charge of
◆ Activating the response services
◆ Communicating with headquarters
◆ Managing external relations and aid appeals from other sources, including
governmental, international and public funds
◆ Communicating with the media
◆ Coordinating and liasing with other agencies and services
◆ Managing administrative work

◆ In preparedness plans, each agency should also identify the activity(ies) it will be
responsible for and its anticipated level of involvement in the event of an emergency
◆ In case of two agencies performing similar functions, important to clarify the distinct
and overlapping roles of each.
 Assessment of probable needs
• Based on previous disasters, planners should compile a list of likely needs and
available resources.
• If planners anticipate a gap between needs and resources, they should identify, in
advance, ways to reduce it
• .

Activating population emergency notification and disaster

response systems
◆ Defining ways to provide the population with emergency warnings as well as the people
who are responsible for this function
◆ In Nepal, Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM)-National and Field Staffs,
NEOC officers and DEOC officers
◆ Media mobilization and who is responsible for communicating data to media
◆ Who and how early warning being monitored and communicated?
 Emergency needs assessment
◆ Precise emergency or disaster situation assessment and a thorough evaluation of
required humanitarian and other relief
◆ Comprehensive needs assessment should be conducted immediately after an emergency
and updated thereafter
◆ Normally people assessing emergency needs and damages should receive training and
should agree on the standards being used
◆ When planning for an emergency needs assessment, identify:
◆ Who and when (e.g. immediately, after 3 days, 2 weeks, etc.) is responsible for the assessment.
Normally, multi-functional and multi-sectoral teams should conduct assessments
◆ What information is required at each stage of the emergency
◆ How and where research teams will be formed and trained
◆ What standards are being used to indicate the severity of the emergency
Minimum standards should include Water supply and sanitation, Nutrition, Food aid, Shelter and
site planning, Health services
◆ In Nepal, NRCS is responsible for Initial Rapid Assessment (IRA) within 24 hours of disaster.
 Communication between agencies
◆ For clear and effective communication in an emergency the plan should specify
how communication will take place and via what mediums (e.g. email, radio,
telephone,in person, etc.)

SectorComponents

◆ Search & Rescue

◆ Food andAgriculture
◆ Emergency Shelter, Livelihood andNon-Food Item
◆ Emergency Protection
◆ Emergency Education
◆ Water & Sanitation
◆ Health and Nutrition
◆ Relief and Recovery
 Search and Rescue
◆ Who will be responsible for organising search and rescue operations?
◆ How to dispose of dead bodies
◆ Who will deliver firstaid?
◆ What distribution and registration systems will be used?
◆ Who will be responsible for medical evacuations and hospitalisation?

Sample Preparedness Activities for Search and Rescue

• Identify strategic locations for the storage of tools and equipment needed
during for search and rescue operations in emergencies
• Identify evacuation routes/search and rescue routes, helipad in
vulnerable communities, Landing and Drop Zone
• Plan evacuation route, transport vehicles, boats etc.
• Formation of Emergency Team, Information and Communication Team,
Medical Team, Search and Response Team

• In Nepal, Security Forces (NA, APF, NP) and NRCS volunteers are primarily
responsible for search and rescue operations
 Food and Agriculture
◆ The preparedness plan should define, calculate and stipulate how food will be
provided in emergencies of differing intensities and impacts
◆ Who is responsible for assessment of food supply needs and coordination of
this part of the response operation?
◆ What food is available locally, in the region, in the country? What are the
capacities of and prices in local markets?
◆ What foodstuffs traditionally used/acceptable to the population are likely to
be affected?
◆ What basic needs should be met for small children?
◆ What food distribution systems have been used in the area, region,
country? How could they be used in an emergency?
◆ Will the unaffected population close to the emergency site also be
provided with food?
◆ Who is responsible for communications with the government and
international food donors (for example, the World Food Programme),
NGOs and otheragencies?
◆ What are the food storage requirements? What storage capacities are
available?
 Emergency Shelter, Livelihood and Non- Food Item
◆ Who is responsible for management and needs assessment related to shelter,
livelihood and NFI?
◆ What is the state policy with regard to sheltering an affected population? Which
governmental structure is in charge of coordinating this work?
◆ Have sites been identified for possible large-scale emergency shelter needs?
◆ How will sites be identified? What difficulties are there related to land ownership?
◆ What potential problems may occur with the local community?
◆ What types of assistance will those who are hosted by relatives or friends need?
◆ How will the terrain affect shelter requirements?
◆ Are construction materials available locally? Are NFI and livelihood materials
available form the local market?
◆ Are supplies of tents, construction materials, plastic sheets, tarpaulins needed?
 Water &Sanitation
Often in an emergency, there is a lack of safe drinking water, which may cause serious
health problems. Sanitation includes provision of safe water; disposal of human excreta,
wastewater and garbage; insect and rodent control; safe food handling; and site
drainage. The plan should include provisions for water and sanitation during an
emergency.
For water, specify:
◆ the policy regarding use of water resources. What infrastructure and technical
capacities exist? Who is responsible for the water system?
◆ whether a supply/distribution system is in place
◆ measures in case of water source contamination
◆ equipment that is required and whether there is a need for water tanks (if local water
sources are not available)
For sanitation, specify:
◆ Who is responsible (public divisions or private sector)
◆ Whether training programs on sanitation should be conducted
◆ The level of planning for sanitation activities
 Health and Nutrition
The following health and nutrition issues should be considered in planning:
◆ Who is responsible for health and nutrition needs?
◆ What is the local health care structure and how does it function during emergencies?
◆ Where can vaccinations for infectious diseases (e.g. measles) be conducted?
◆ What are the main supplementary feeding requirements (children, pregnant and lactating
women) or special feeding programmes that may be necessary?
◆ Which governmental or non-governmental agencies are responsible for health care,
disease prevention and public health campaigns? What role does your agency play?
◆ How can the problem of overcrowding be solved? How will the problem reflect on health
care before and after an emergency?
◆ What measures should be taken for different population groups (children, pregnant
women, etc.)?
◆ What medication and medical equipment is available? What might be needed? Is an
additional supply of these items needed?
◆ Are storage capacities available? If not, what should be done?
 Emergency Protection
Preparedness plans should identify who is responsible for protection and security.

In addition, the plan should identify the actions to take to ensure the
protection of the affected population and their belongings as well as the
safety of the emergency responders.
Normally, this will be the responsibility of the Security Forces
Sample Preparedness Activities for Protection
• Form Safe House and Camp Management Team
• Make special arrangements for Women, Children, Elderly and Disabled
people
• Ensure safety of abandoned houses, relocated livestock and livelihood
materials

Emergency Education
Most likely, the public schools are used as a temporary shelters during emergencies.
Make sure, the education facilities to children isnot disrupted due to temporary usage for the
camps and shelters
Mobile LearningCentres
 Resource Management
(Mobilization and Allocation)
Resource Management (Mobilization and Allocation)

Resource management involves the coordination and oversight of the

application of tools, processes, and systems that provide incident managers with
timely and appropriate resources during an incident.
Responding to an emergency and implementing the preparedness plan will
require resources.
Disaster tasks may require the use of resources (personnel, facilities, supplies, and
equipment) from multiple organizations and jurisdictions and may also require the use
of unusual resource

The preparedness plan, therefore, should consider:

◆ What resources are already available and in what quantities?
◆ Which staff and volunteers can be shifted over from other programs during times of
emergency?
◆ What resources will be needed that we don't have?
◆ Plans for procuring the resources that are not currently available.
Resource management's four primary tasks are to:

• Establish systems for describing, inventorying, requesting, and

tracking resources
• Activate these systems prior to and during an incident;
• Dispatch resources prior to and during an incident; and
• Deactivate or recall resources during or after incidents.
There are many resources required for the
preparedness program including:
• People(Human Resource)
• Facilities
• Communications and warning technologies
• Fire protection and life safety systems
• Pollution control systems
• Equipment
• Materials and supplies
• Funding
• Special expertise-Information about the threats or hazards
Human Resources

Employees are needed to staff emergency response, business

continuity and crisis communications teams. The emergency response
team may be limited to employees trained to direct evacuation or
sheltering. Some businesses may choose to organize emergency
response teams to administer first aid, perform CPR and use automated
external defibrillators (AEDs). Still others may train staff to use portable
fire extinguishers. Regulations define minimum requirements that
include training and organizing employees. Staff is needed to develop
and manage the business continuity and crisis communication plans.
The teams will likely be made up of employees working in their
respective departments. Some staff may be assigned to work at
alternate worksites if a primary worksite cannot be occupied.
Facilities

• Facilities for emergency response include defined shelter space for

protection from hazard is required. Facilities should also include a
room that can be equipped to serve as an emergency operations
center for supporting response to an incident. Other facilities needed
include office space or a meeting room with communications
equipment to serve as a communications hub.
• Facilities for business continuity may include alternate workspace
equipped for continuation of business operations. Alternate facilities
may be owned or contracted including office space, data center,
manufacturing and distribution.
Systems

• Systems for emergency response may include detection, alarm, warning,

communications, suppression and pollution control systems. Protection of
critical equipment within a data center may include sensors monitoring
heat, humidity and attempts to penetrate computer firewalls.
• Every building has exit routes so people can evacuate if there is a hazard
within the building. These exit routes should be designed and maintained
in accordance with applicable regulations.
• Business continuity resources may include spare or redundant systems that
serve as a backup in case primary systems fail. Systems for crisis
communications may include existing voice and data technology for
communicating with customers, employees and others.
Equipment

• Equipment includes the means for teams to communicate. Radios,

smartphones, wired telephone and pagers may be required to alert team
members to respond, to notify public agencies or contractors and to
communicate with other team members to manage an incident.
• Other equipment depends on the functions of the team. Automated
External Defibrillators may be required for a first aid/CPR team. Fire
extinguishers would be required for a fire brigade. Spill containment and
absorbent equipment would be required for a hazardous materials
response team or trained employees working in their assigned workspace.
Personal protective equipment including hearing, eye, face and foot
protection may be required for employees as part of a safety program.
Materials and Supplies

• Materials and supplies are needed to support members of emergency

response, business continuity and crisis communications teams. Food
and water are basic provisions.
• Systems and equipment needed to support the preparedness
program require fuel. Emergency generators and diesel engine driven
fire pumps should have a fuel supply that meets national standards or
local regulatory requirements. That means not allowing the fuel
supply to run low because replenishment may not be possible during
an emergency. Spare batteries for portable radios and chargers for
smartphones and other communications devices should be available.
Funding

• Money invested in the preparedness program can pay big dividends if

an incident occurs. Consider the benefits of a fire being controlled
quickly; immediate medical assistance that saves an injured
employee; or a recovery strategy that enables continued customer
service. Spending funds prudently on preparedness can pay back
multiple times when measured against the potential for damage to
equipment, facilities, loss of staff, lost customers and lost revenue.
 Inter-Organizational Resource Management
◆ Response coordinators and planners to appreciate the tendency toward
over-response/under-response indisasters.
◆ Although it is unlikely that the pattern can be completely controlled,
effective measures can be taken to reduce it and channel it.
◆ In part, this can be accomplished by the development of procedures for
the multi-organizational management of resources, so that needs can be
accurately determined and requests coordinated.
◆ This helps to decrease exaggerated estimates of damages. and injuries
and the resultant appeals for mass assistance which may not be needed.
 Overall Need Assessment
◆ Overall analysis of the disaster situation and the available resources.
◆ Data for this analysis must be collected from multiple organizations in order to
get an idea of the "big picture”
◆ It is important to anticipate the fact that initial information about the
disaster situation is ofteninaccurate
◆ Needs assessment has to be an ongoing procedure that continues
throughout the duration of the incident.

Two major processes: 1) situation analysis; and 2) resource analysis.

◆ Situation analysis is the collection of information about the extent and
character of the disaster itself and the problems that have to be tackled.
◆ Resource analysis involves the collection of information about the resources
needed to tackle the problems.
 Situation Analysis
Types of information neededfor situation analysis.

◆ Present conditions. Important information includes that related to location and

severity of damage; existing threats (fires, explosions, chemical spills, downed
electrical wires, weakened structures in danger of collapse); numbers, locations,
types, and severities of injuries; and numbers and locations of trapped victims.

◆ Expected conditions. Examples of factors that might influence expected conditions

include: rate of fire spread; rate of river rise; seismic aftershocks; tsunami (tidal wave) or
seiche (earthquake- generated wave in a lake or other closed body of water);
hazardous spills due to earthquake; duration of the incident; weather influences; and
downed power lines after storms.

◆ Impact of expected conditions. Examples of impacts of expected conditions

include: evacuation areas; public shelter and feeding; need for sandbagging;
possibility of further casualties; need for replacement personnel and
reinforcements; need for feeding, sleeping, and sanitation facilities; need for fuel;
and vehicle and equipment maintenance orreplacement.
 Resource Analysis
Information needed for resource analysis includes
◆ data on what objectives need to be accomplished,
◆ what resources are needed to accomplish them,
◆ what resources are present and/or assigned, and what resources are available.

When the situation analysis is complete, the results should identify those general
problems that have to be tackled (incident objectives).
These are broken down into specific tasks that are delegated to the various
organizations present and their subdivisions.
For each delegated task, the group responsible for accomplishing it must then
indicate the resources it needs to do so.
The indicated resource needs are then compared with resources present to
assess the resources that need to be requested or reassigned.
 Resource Allocation
Priorities and Sequential Interdependence
◆ The allocation of disaster resources depends on the task priorities established for
the incident.
◆ This may be affected by the fact that some tasks are "sequentially interdependent."
That is, the ability of one organization to complete its assigned task is dependent on
another organization's accomplishment of a prior task

Monitoring Task Progress and ResourceRe-allocation

◆ Allocation of resources based on the situation analysis can be complicated
when, as so often occurs, the initial information obtained isinaccurate
◆ One cannot be certain that the various important disaster tasks will be completed as
expected
◆ Countermeasure to this problem is the establishment of procedures to monitor the
progress of the various tasks and to reassign resources to meet the conditions as they
change
 Volunteers
Managin

Volunteers will respond-often in large numbers and on an unsolicited basis

Volunteers may be able to provide needed services that are unavailable at the time from formal emergency
organizations

Command Post
Facility located at the scene of an emergency or disaster where management of site activities is carried out
Concerned with activities at the scene,
In multi-organizational operations, coordination and resource management is facilitated when the leaders of
the various responding organizations are located together in the same command post
Independent command post established by different agencies tend to isolate response efforts. Personnel with decision
making authority should be in the command post

Emergency Operation Centres (EOCs)

Disasters with multiple impact sites and large, complex disasters (e.g., those with significant state and federal
involvement) often call for an emergency operations center (EOC). The EOC is usually established away from the
disaster scene, often near governmental office
EOC establishes priorities for the distribution of resources among the various sites, and handles off-incident concerns
Thank You